


mutual struggles

by sarangx



Category: Day6 (Band)
Genre: College AU, Cuddling & Snuggling, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Rated T for language, Sleepy Cuddles, Soft™, basically a group effort between them to help each other, basically a mix of 2 prompts that i smashed together, brian is sweet and Sad, but where would i get that motivation lmao, could be an entire fic with chapters if i tried hard enough, fruity, got7's yugyeom is here and hes the best wingman, i live for mutual support, jae is Struggling, lapslock, my gf made me tag fruity dont ask, young k and jae have art together and jae sucks ass
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-24
Updated: 2017-07-24
Packaged: 2018-11-19 06:24:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,366
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11307570
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sarangx/pseuds/sarangx
Summary: jae sucks at art.brian sucks at emotions.





	mutual struggles

**Author's Note:**

> this is kinda dialogue-heavy so heads up for that. also, this took a month and lots of pushing myself so please enjoy!!

brian kang was quiet and seemed to be, at first glance, a cold person. he seemed like the type to be quite withdrawn and only focus on himself and no one else. however, he was quite the opposite. to the few close friends who had managed to muster enough courage to actually confront him and eventually befriend him, like wonpil and dowoon, he was actually rather tender and kind. he was thoughtful and considerate of his dongsaengs' needs, never hesitating to come to their aid.

and he was also extremely creative and talented.

ever since he was a toddler, he had found himself to be more interested in the arts than sports like most kids were. (though, he did join various sports teams every now and again later on in his life.) he was interested and curious with every instrument, quickly learning the techniques as years stretched on. in his first year of high school, he had begun taking art seriously and was drawing full-scaled projects at home instead of scribbled doodles on the edges of his notebook papers.

after graduating, he had taken on a music major along with an additional art major. his english minor took up the bulk of his grades however, and he found himself having to focus more on his academics rather than what the education system deemed to be less important. that is, until he suddenly noticed _him._

he was a blonde with kind chocolate eyes. his korean was a bit shaky, and he seemed to have an american accent, already piquing brian's interest since he had lived in canada for quite a few years. the former was in his art class, seeming a bit clumsy since he tended to trip over art supplies every now and again. he seemed nice enough, and he was known to joke around quite a bit but still was said to be kind-hearted and friendly.

but he was absolutely shit at art. brian had come to realize that when he'd glanced over and saw what was supposed to be a rendition of one of andy warhol's pieces, but instead his canvas just looked like random splashes of bright colors. if brian were to put it nicely, it could be considered abstract. but if he were to be blunt and a bit rude, it was shit and would, at best, get a sixty percent grade.

so brian brought it upon himself to _maybe_ tutor him. the boy was cute, he had to admit, but the canadian was shy so he was a bit hesitant to even greet him, much less help him with his poor artistic skills.

"yugyeomie, he sucks _so bad._ but he's so cute!" brian was complaining to his cute and cheeky dongsaeng, kim yugyeom. they were in a cafe near their college campus on a late tuesday afternoon, already having finished up their classes for the day. "how is that even fair?"

"brian-hyung, please," the younger male chuckled into his hand, greatly amused, "just talk to him. it's not that big of a deal."

"but what would i even say? 'hey i don't even know your name but your art is really bad so i'll help you'?" he groaned as he shoved his head in his hands. "what if he thinks _my_ art is bad? oh god, what if he thinks i'm a hypocrite!?"

"hyung, chill out. you're usually so laid-back, it's like you--" suddenly a grin slowly raised yugyeom's lips as it dawned on him. " _oh my god,_ you like him don't you?"

brian's eyes grew wide with horror as he raised his head in disbelief. his cheeks bloomed a blazing red as he shook his head repeatedly.

"no, no!" he denied profusely, "i don't even-- how would you-- ugh!" he groaned in defeat, covering his face once again with his own hands. "i don't know. i haven't even properly met him yet."

"all the more reason to tutor him!" yugyeom insisted, patting the older's arm in an attempt to comfort him.

brian gave no response, only a huff of dismay when he realized his dongsaeng had won the argument. he was right, after all.

"ah, sungjin-hyung!" yugyeom suddenly called, causing brian to look up and see a brunette glance over and smile. he walked over, and as he got closer, brian was getting more and more awkward. he seemed to be familiar, though brian couldn't seem to figure out who exactly he was or where he had seen him.

"hey yugyeom-ah. it's been awhile," sungjin smiled at the younger, aura easygoing as he greeted him. he then turned to brian, who was biting his lip and looking everywhere but the newcomer. "who's this?"

"this is brian-hyung! he's really nice," yugyeom beamed, laughing slightly when brian gave a small smile before picking at his nails and averting his eyes again. "he's a bit shy, but he means well."

the two talked a bit more as the bassist silently picked at the crumbs that remained of his cheesecake that he had eaten over half an hour ago. his iced americano was likely watery at that point, so he didn't even try and drink it.

"ah, right!" yugyeom abruptly exclaimed, catching his attention. "you said jae-hyung was struggling in his art course, right? brian-hyung could help him since they're in the same class."

oh, right. sungjin was a friend of that one boy brian had been freaking out over. shit.

"really?" sungjin turned to the startled brian, raising an eyebrow. "he's pretty shit, i'm just saying. are you sure you're willing to tutor?"

"uh-uhm..." the canadian stuttered over his words before building the courage to answer. "y-yeah, i don't mind..."

"ah, great! his parents would kill him if he manages to fail another course. thank you!" the brunette grinned, his gratitude causing brian to blush lightly.

and that was how brian managed to actually, sort of, kinda schedule a tutoring session with his sort-of not really crush. he still wouldn't admit it, even after yugyeom's constant nagging about the boy.

brian had his art course every wednesday, thursday, and friday. he usually saw jae come into class on those days as well, so he could only guess that the tutoring would begin the following day. (could it even be considered tutoring if it wasn't assigned by the school itself? would it be more appropriate to say he's only helping out?) he was nervous as hell and his roommates weren't helping when he returned from the cafe.

"omo is our brian-hyung getting a boyfriend finally?" dowoon snickered once he had somehow found out (probably from yugyeom). the younger was smirking with a smugness that irritated brian to no end. the fact he had just gotten home did nothing to aid his anxiety.

"what? oh my god, hyung, you are!?" wonpil suddenly shouted from the kitchen, soon poking his head out from the hallway. "about damn time, jesus."

the appearance of his other roommate only angered brian more, causing him to sigh in frustration. how could they jump to conclusions so quickly? he thought the wildfire spread of rumors stopped back in high school.

"no! for fuck's sake, can you guys calm down?" the blonde huffed, glaring at the two of them, "just because i'm helping a guy with schoolwork doesn't mean we're going to start dating."

"well yeah, maybe," wonpil agreed before continuing, "but that _is_ what usually happens."

"wonpil, you have no room to talk. you didn't get with dowoon until like two years of pining in the band room," brian retorted hotly, rolling his eyes. he went to walk into his room to avoid the indignant shouts of anger behind him. he had enough on his plate without a furious kim wonpil.

\--

the following day, brian managed to get through the two classes he had by solely focusing on the lectures and note-taking. it wasn't until he _actually_ had to walk into the art classroom that the panic and worry set in. 

jae was there, cute as always, and he seemed to be picking at his nails. was he nervous, too? had sungjin already explained to him what was going on, or did brian have to do it himself? oh god, he hoped not. he wasn't good with speaking in the first place.

"ah, younghyun-ssi," jaehyung greeted first, smiling politely and bowing. "sungjin-ah told me you could help me with this class?"

"please, just call me brian," the canadian replied shyly, returning the bow. "yes, i've- um, i've seen how you've... struggled." he chuckled nervously, not quite sure how to word his thoughts. how the hell was he supposed to say this to a complete stranger? there was really no polite way.

thankfully, the older didn't seem too offended by it as he sincerely laughed. his eyes lit up with amusement as he scratched the back of his neck in embarrassment. "ah, was it really that obvious?"

"not too much, don't worry." brian gave a shake of his head with a small smile. "now, um, how's your positive and negative space project going?"

jae led him over to the drying racks by the sink, paper towels thrown haphazardly across the counters. water was still dripping a bit from the faucets, and paintbrushes were stained a multitude of colors that weren't bothered to be washed off. an odd mixture of the stray drops of paint sat at the bottom of the sink, almost in the drain but not quite. brian took it upon himself to quickly turn on the faucet and give a swift touch-up for the supplies so that the paint wouldn't be completely dry in the coming minutes. he nodded for jae to get his canvas from the rack.

oh, god.

"holy shit." brian dropped the paintbrushes in shock, a _clack!_ emitting from them once they fell into the sink. the water remained running and splashed onto his hands along with the metal of the basin.

the canvas was- how was there a single splotch of bright blue when they could only use black and white? were those shapes supposed to _be_ something? what the hell was that single corner of red doing? how the fuck did the canvas get ripped?

"what? what is it?" jae asked innocently, chocolate eyes blinking in apprehension.

"i'm-- how in the hell did you manage to do this?" brian inquired, eyes wide as he scanned the piece in front of him. "i can't-- i can't even try to excuse it as abstract. this is _actually_ a mess. how-- why did you use red and blue? just-- i don't understand."

"i- um..." the american scratched the back of his neck again (probably a habit when he was nervous or felt cornered). "i don't really like using straight black. it makes it seem plain. so... i just, i mixed red and blue to make purple and made it really dark so that it could stand out."

"okay, let's-" brian sighed as he wiped his hands and gathered all the paper towels scattered across the counters. "let's start over. 'cause that is going to get an f. a d at best." he dragged jae away from the racks and moved to grab a canvas from the stack by the supplies buckets. he dumped the now clean paintbrushes there, too, continuing to lead the older until they reached his desk. "now, listen. having deep purple shadows instead of straight black isn't a bad idea. but for this project, you can't do that. nothing will stand out because there's only gonna be two colors."

"what if i use a really light purple instead of white?"

"that might work, but it'll take more time. you'd have to do at least two coats and then do even more coats for the darker color. the canvas is already white, so most people are just adding the black space," brian explained patiently, gesturing to the surrounding students who were diligently working on the project.

"what are _you_ doing, then?" jae asked curiously.

"oh, i- um, i already finished." brian flushed in embarrassment. he had to admit that he always got a bit ahead of himself in his electives. majority of the time, he completed his assignments early. he rummaged through his bag to get the canvas out.

it was a smaller size since brian had personally bought it. (he didn't like to use the college's supplies. they were cheaper and broke with more ease.) the background was a metallic silver that shone when the light caught it, and the black spaces were silhouettes of people. they drew across the entire piece, going off the cover and disappearing. eyes were colored the same silver, almost seeming to glow. it was extremely eerie, and brian was kind of self-conscious to show it. there was a deep meaning behind it, and he was afraid that it'd give off a feeling of what that meaning was. it was extremely personal to him, and he wasn't one to share secrets so easily.

"omo! that's so cool!" jae said excitedly.

and like that, their tutoring began; how their friendship grew from then on out. that was the first day of fate.

weeks flew past. brian's kind yet blunt tips managed to better jae's artwork. turns out that the american was a quick learner, and he didn't have too many problems advancing in the class. brian wouldn't say they were amazing and out-of-the-world pieces, but he could say with confidence that they were at least a hundred times better than before and that jae could easily get an a for each one.

they knew each other better. they became close more quickly than what brian was used to. it scared him a bit, actually. but that fear ebbed away every second he spent with the other man. they would talk about their home countries and their family. they'd talk about their passions and how they got into the college. it was nice. but brian never had a nice streak for long. it just ended up that way for him.

at first, he didn't show up at school at all on wednesday. jae was already a bit concerned, but he brushed it off as nothing. but then he didn't come for the rest of the week. that was when jae grew a bit more worried for the other's safety. he asked wonpil what was up since he was the blonde's roommate, obvious worry in his wide eyes when he questioned the brunette.

"ah... um," wonpil stuttered over his words, eyeing the floor and walls and basically everything but jae.

"is he okay?"

wonpil bit his lip, thinking. he heaved a sigh and looked up, meeting eyes for the first time. "he's going through a bit of a... a rough spot right now. it happens every now and then. you don't need to--"

" _is he okay?_ " jae asked a bit more firmly, eyes narrowed a bit to show how serious he was about this.

"no," the younger finally admitted, lips pursed. "he holed himself up in his room. this is the longest it's been since last time." wonpil gave a sad smile, eyes trained on his shoes.

"let me see him."

\--

brian _loathed_ when this happened. he absolutely despised it when his body felt like lead and how his mind was too tired to command it to do anything else. he hated that this happened once a month, that the time apart and time taken was so sporadic and unpredictable. and since it had been so long since his last episode, he was so graciously gifted intrusive thoughts that clouded his brain and blocked out rationality and the real world. he wasn't sure what day it was, much less how long he had laid there. it was all a blur. he wasn't even certain if he slept or not.

the worst part was that he could never figure out what triggered it. it just _happened._ he didn't get to choose when boom! he could lay down and stay there for a week. it wasn't like the press of a button. he could never tell when it could happen or how long it would be before he could return to his normal self. it was always a gamble, and if he wasn't so preoccupied with his dark thoughts he'd probably curse even more at the way his life worked.

 _"but it's just what you deserve, isn't it?"_ a small voice whispered to him, coaxing him to believe the venom that dripped from its metaphoric lips. _"it's how karma works, brian. it's give and take. you can't be happy. you're a burden to your friends. you can't be the football player your father wanted you to be. you moved away from your family. and in return, you get these incredible talents and good looks. how does that work, hm? it's not fair, so we must make it so. you were gifted unfairly, so you're punished with the doubt inside your head."_ it whispered, causing him to squeeze his eyes shut as he felt tears welling up. yes, yes, it was all true, he shouldn't be crying over the truth.

"brian, hey." a gentle voice called, so different from the cold tone inside his head. this one was warm, was kind and patient. it was like a fireplace beckoning him to warm up from the cold snowstorm outside.

 _"is it the truth, though? sometimes lies seem warmer than what's proven. is that voice even real? are you going to invest in lies, brian?"_ brian felt himself curl in on himself, cradling his head. he just wanted it to _stop!_ please _stop!_

a hand in his hair suddenly stopped the torment of words in his head. the fingers tenderly curled through his blonde locks, twirling strands around and carding through the mop of hair. it set a calm over him, and his body gradually became less tense. his eyes fluttered as he inhaled oxygen and actually _felt_ himself doing it. he became aware of another weight on the bed, and of its own accord, his body moved closer and snuggled into the warmth of the person who was there. he was too tired and drained to be suspicious of who it was. he was exhausted and he felt more drowsy the more the hand in his hair brushed.

"brian, you good?" the warm voice spoke up, still kind as before. relief was even heard in its tone. "it's me, jae. from art."

"hhnnnggghhh..." brian mumbled, blinking languidly and exhaling slowly. "jae..." the name sounded familiar on his tongue, and it left a giddy feeling in his belly when he said it. "jae."

a quiet chuckle followed his sleepy response. jae continued carding his fingers through the younger's hair, smiling softly at the lax form beside him. he wasn't used to seeing this side of him. he was so... so _soft._ he was completely vulnerable and his shyness was gone. it was refreshing, in a way.

jae tried to get up to tell wonpil of brian's condition, but the canadian weakly grabbed onto his hand to keep him from leaving.

"mmm...don't... don't go," he murmured, eyes half-lidded and pleading. they were such a soft pair of eyes that glistened with so many emotions it left the american reeling. the fingers intertwining with his were weak but persistent, preventing him from walking another step.

"i'm not going anywhere, okay? don't worry," jae said soothingly, sitting back down and giving brian's hand with a squeeze of comfort. the other moved so that his head was in jae's lap, eyes drooping with exhaustion. 

"you- you better not," brian said quietly, bringing their enclosed hands closer, "i'd have to kill you otherwise." there was a hint of humor, though it didn't get far with how his voice kept trailing off in between words.

jae laughed softly, continuing to pet the other's hair. "right, of course."

the blonde seemed content with that answer, as he finally allowed his eyes to close and let his mind rest. it wasn't long before his breathing evened out. jae would be lying if he said he didn't watch him and think it wasn't cute.

\--

wonpil totally took a picture of the two sleeping two hours later,

**Author's Note:**

> i'm so tired but i wanted really badly to finish this, so here you go! these could be two separate fics, i know, but i just decided to smash them together. the end product was a bit messy, though. not too satisfied. but i hope you guys liked it! comments and kudos are extremely appreciated~ :)


End file.
